Nelson's Port-a-Pit

These folks from Wakarusa, IN, have been making the best (IMHO) pit barbecued chicken for over 30 years. They provide the pit barbecued pork chops for the Indiana State Fair as well. Individual pre-cooked and boxed chicken halves were once available at Sam's Club and may still be. Most of their efforts go into on-site cooking as fund-raising for various groups, most of which seem to be in northern Indiana and south-west Michigan (wonder why?).

Their Port-a-Pits are charcoal-fired and motorized. They seem to be fifteen feet long, give or take, and all stainless steel. Towed by a big pickup. They bring lots of coolers to the site to keep the meat warm. The selected meat travels on a conveyor belt through a marinade then over the fire and back again to the marinade...for a few hours. By the time the chicken halves are done almost all the fat has been cooked off, the skin is tender and succulent, and the meat is...I've run out of words.

I was HS Band Director at Bremen (IN) HS 30 years ago and we were one of the first groups to use Nelson's (then called Nelson's Golden-Glo) chicken as a fund-raiser. Incredibly successful. In a town of 3000 they would cook 1000 chicken halves. They're still at it. Gee, it must have something to do with the flavor of this regional northern Indiana phenomenon.

Try it as soon as you possibly can, and help a group in need while you're at it.

Nelsons Chicken is the greatest ever (their website say if the Colonol had this recipe he would be a General!). Hard to find it in south central Indiana, am enjoying it right now at the Bartholomew County Fair in Columbus, Indiana. People don't really know the name Nelsons down here but it is the secret to the success of the Kiwanis chicken dinner operation every year. If I ever see one of their trucks on the road, I follow them!

I can't believe they have never opened any restaurants or franchised the recipe. They seem to make an honest living doing fundraisers for many many organizations mostly in Northern Indiana. I grew up in Goshen and always loved it, I probably had it as a lad some 40 years ago!

These folks from Wakarusa, IN, have been making the best (IMHO) pit barbecued chicken for over 30 years. They provide the pit barbecued pork chops for the Indiana State Fair as well. Individual pre-cooked and boxed chicken halves were once available at Sam's Club and may still be. Most of their efforts go into on-site cooking as fund-raising for various groups, most of which seem to be in northern Indiana and south-west Michigan (wonder why?).

Their Port-a-Pits are charcoal-fired and motorized. They seem to be fifteen feet long, give or take, and all stainless steel. Towed by a big pickup. They bring lots of coolers to the site to keep the meat warm. The selected meat travels on a conveyor belt through a marinade then over the fire and back again to the marinade...for a few hours. By the time the chicken halves are done almost all the fat has been cooked off, the skin is tender and succulent, and the meat is...I've run out of words.